1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and device to move a heating element within a cavity of a cooking hob. The heating element is within the cavity when not in use and partially emerges for activation.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the case of cooking hobs it is known to provide heating elements (such as gas burners) which are movable relative to the upper surface of said hob. Specifically, such elements or burners can assume two working positions. In a first of these positions the heating elements are retracted inside a corresponding cavity provided in the cooking hob so the top of each burner is substantially coplanar with the upper surface of the cooking hob. This makes it possible to rapidly clean said surface while at the same time provide the hob with a very attractive appearance. In the other position the burners project from the relative cavity above the cooking hob so that they can be activated and used. In the known art, the movement of each burner is achieved either by motorized mechanisms or by purely mechanical systems.
Although known cooking hobs of the type discussed above offer the attractive appearance and ease of cleaning, they have various drawbacks. In particular, they require mechanisms of high precision and reliability to ensure that after many years of use, the burners can still be moved into the two said working positions without problems. However, these high precision mechanisms are reliably attained only in an industrial production of very high cost, which is a considerable drawback.